1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to surgical staples for use with surgical staplers and, more particularly, to surgical staples having an adjustable width backspan.
2. Description of Related Art
Surgical staples are highly specialized staples that can be employed during a variety of medical procedures (e.g., surgery). For example, closing skin wounds, anastomosing bowels, and excising portions of a lung are just a few of the many different types of medical procedures where surgical staples can be employed.
Clinicians and the likes have turned to surgical staplers and the surgical staples associated therewith as popular alternatives to traditional suturing methods in the medical environment. Incorporating a surgical stapler into a procedure allows a clinician to quickly and easily close tissue.
Current stapling technology can employ multiple same size surgical staples having first and second legs, and a backspan. As is the case with most conventional surgical staples, when the surgical staple is deployed, the surgical staple penetrates tissue, creating a hole(s) and an accompanying staple line. Located along the staple line and between the legs of the surgical staple is captured tissue. The captured and now transected tissue becomes hemostatic, which results in minimal leakage of bodily fluids around the transected tissue area. However, due to pressure changes in the body and/or other normal body processes (e.g., heating), tissue that is not captured between the legs of the surgical staple(s) may stretch and pull away from the surgical staple(s') legs, which may cause stress on the hole created by the surgical staple(s) and/or form a path in which bodily fluids may leak, both of which, in turn, can impede the healing process.
Therefore, a surgical staple that allows for relative motion between the legs of the surgical staple after the surgical staple has been deployed into tissue may be helpful.